Actresses Debbie Rochon and Tammy Parks talk about the new musical parody, Slice Girls

by Jon Keeyes (July 1998)

Ever since the good ole days of Dr. Demento, America has been crazy for musical parody's. From Weird Al Yankovic and his battalion of tongue-in-cheek songs mimicking MTV's Top Hits to the classic rock-n-roll parody Spinal Tap, music fans have embraced anything that makes fun of their favorite artists. Well, now for the first time, fans of horror, science fiction and erotic films get to embrace their own with the emergence of Slice Girls.

"It was originally an idea that Bob Michelucci and John Russo had," shared Debbie Rochon one afternoon in a conversation from her home in New York. "They were fooling around with the idea -- having joked about it -- they just saw all the publicity and craziness over The Spice Girls and they actually started putting it together." The craziness over a female band from England hit America a few years ago, and though The Spice Girls have managed to hit Billboard charts and make their own feature film, they have been the brunt of continual (and deserved) assaults of comedic wit and jest. It comes as no surprise that the duo who bring America the b-film goddess magazine Scream Queens Illustrated (one of which is the man who, among other projects, co-wrote the film classic Night of the Living Dead) would find it in themselves to turn a teeny boppers wet dream into a genre fans greatest hope for salvation.

"Bob and John got together with Scott 'Vladimir' Licina at a convention and started batting around some ideas," continued Debbie. "Scott was a composer; he composes other people's music as well as his own and he very much wanted to be a part of the evolvement of the group. So, he wrote the songs with John and it basically got started there. Then after they wrote the songs they just had to cast the group."

For those unfamiliar with Scott "Vladimir" Lucinia, this macabre maestro is the head of the gothic band Dark Theater, and a renowned master of musical composition. Playing more than thirty-five instruments, Vlad was responsible for the 48 tracks on each song and primarily wrote and arranged (with John Russo's assistance) the five parody songs including Wanna Haunt Me, Sacrifice Me, The Devil Made Me and Say You'll Be Scared. With pre-production full steam ahead, it was time for Vlad, John and Bob to cast what could become the most infamous of b-queen driven parodies. "They wanted to cast the group not with three or four singers but with three or four horror movies actresses," says Debbie. "That was the main gist of the group, just getting people with a lot of film credit and that was a big part of the parody."

The first of these beauties to be brought into the Slice Girls was horror actress and professional singer Stephanie Pitt. Daughter of famed Hammer Studios film queen Ingrid Pitt, Stephanie was an obvious choice for she was the star of several horror films, successful on British television and had received vocal training for most of her life. Vlad was the one to approach Stephanie for he knew her from his many times performing in England. Having pitched the idea to Stephanie, she thought it was fantastic and immediately jumped on board.

Next came Debbie Rochon, famed b-queen and star of such classics as Tromeo and Juliet, Abducted 2: The Reunion and Alien Agenda. "At first I had said no. I was like, 'Jack [John Russo], look, I like to do things that I'm good at doing - like acting - but, you know, I'm not a singer'. So I said, 'As much as I want to do it I don't think this is something I could pull off'. Then Vlad called me and he said, 'Look, I have a lot of artists in my studio and I work with a lot of singers and rappers and such and I will write something that you will be more than able to do'. And so I said okay and I did and everything worked out great. Really, I didn't even like to hear myself sing yet I'm really good with rhythm and that was really all I had to do -- to be good with rhythm and therefore it all worked out."

Following Debbie Rochon's joining came Christine Cavalier. Known as both a model and actress (Santa Claws, Twisted Teens, Initiation Rites), Christine Cavalier had also received ten years worth of vocal training which would become another valuable asset to Slice Girls.

Shared Debbie, "It was originally going to be a three girl group but when Tammy Parks heard about it through Jack and Bob, and she wanted so much to be in the group, she convinced everybody and therefore she was and she turned out to be a really good addition."

B-starlet Tammy Parks is well-known as both a model and actress having starred in such films as Attack of the 60 Ft. Centerfold, Virtual Desire and Day of the Warrior, and with her bubbly and warm personality it is no surprise she is considered a great addition. Shared Tammy, "The Slice Girls thing happened really fast like mid to late summer. I mean, I flew out like a month after talking to them. I had heard about it in passing when talking to Bob and I just thought that sounded like something I should be in. So, I just kind of showed up, brought personality and did my thing - the Tammy Parks thing."

Slice Girls would become the first opportunity for these four actresses to really work together. "I had met them in passing at conventions," said Tammy, "but we're always so busy. You know, when you're a female in the business your scenes might be different days than the other girls." Debbie also talked about them getting together: "I had met Tammy and Christine at conventions, and did one small scene with Christine in Santa Claws. Stephanie I had never met and she just turned out to be the greatest gal in the world."

With the actresses all lined up, it was time to make Slice Girls. The first assignment was a photoshoot of the girls in their costumes. Remembers Debbie, "Vlad had a woman from England who is a costume designer who designed all his stage costumes. He had her design the four costumes that we wear in the video, cd and posterbook. In October of 1997, before we did the recording, it was the first time we had met and all the characters and costumes had already been done."

The characters Debbie speaks of were created by Vlad for each of these talents. Debbie Rochon is Isis Slice, Tammy Parks is Kraftee Slice, Christine Cavalier is Franken Slice and lead singer Stephanie Pitt is Vampee Slice. While the characters add a certain nuance of the genre to Slice Girls, the characters also appear in the Slice Girls comic book illustrated by artist Chad Savage. The comic book follows the nightmare and horror that surrounds these four ghoulies as they film their new movie, Slice World. But comic books aside, it is the music that is getting them known.

In December of 1997 the ladies entered the studio to begin the recording. Debbie, Tammy and Christine spent about two days in the studio while Stephanie spent an additional three days laying down vocal tracks with a couple of other trips from England to complete the project. With Vlad, John, Bob and the ladies all present, they painstakingly brought Slice Girls to life. "Jack is a really good writer, he really is. That is really his foray. And Vlad is really good in the studio," said Debbie, "so with those two, I mean they really made it come together. Just -- and this isn't a put-down to any of us -- this is an exact mirror of the Spice Girls. It really could have been almost anybody. I mean really except for Stephanie who did so much more work than I did, anyway, as far as the recording goes, but it was really Vlad and Jack who made the whole thing come together and sound as good as it is and be so funny."

Tammy also adds, "Working with the Slice Girls is one of the more fun things I have done. It was real fun. It was very relaxed and being that it was close to Christmas we really enjoyed each others company."

What we the listeners are left with is a masterful parody that is full of very talented vocals and incredibly good music. Each song is woven with multiple levels of vocal tracking and well produced musical quality (I'll be honest, I was surprised at how good this CD really is). Each track becomes both a parody of the Spice Girls while ensuring that the aire of horror and b-film mayhem permeates the world of their fans. With the cd, comic book and posterbook now available, as well as a wonderful documentary video featuring the Wanna Haunt Me music video, the Slice Girls are ready to hit the road. You probably won't find them hitting the local concert venue but they do have plans of performing at several horror and science fiction conventions. And if you really want to get a juicy taste of these girls you can hear sound clips on Vlad's website at www.screemjams.com.

As a finally thought to close on, Debbie got a giggle and became hush-hush in our conversation: "I'll let you in on a secret; track 69 is a hidden song. It's a remix with a little bit more guitars." Needless to say, I love these girls and raced right home to check this one out.

For Slice Girls Merchandise:

Cd's : $8.95
Signed Editions CD's : $19.95
Slice Girls Video : $19.95
B&W Comic Book : $2.95
Signed Comic Book : $19.95

Market Square Productions
20 Market Square
Pitts., PA 15222
For Shipping & Handling add $6 for 1st item and $2 for each additional item

Originally published in GC Magazine - Edited by Jon Keeyes.